CHAPTER 4: May 14th: The destined day!
"I'm going out, Tokio!" Saito called to Tokio.
"Okay! Where are you going?!" Tokio called back from the yard.
"I'm going to the Battousai's residence. I'll be home in a few hours!" Saito replied. He hoisted the box of medicine on his back and placed his peddler's hat on his head, hiding his narrow, amber eyes. Then, he walked off down the road toward the Kamiya Dojo.
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Sano arrived at the Kamiya Dojo, but to his dismay, Kenshin and the others weren't home.
"Where could they have gone?" Sano whined. "I was hoping on getting some free food today! They'd better not be at the Akabeko eating a beef hot pot without me!" Then, the front gate opened and a tall man walked in carrying a box on his back.
"Can I help you with something?" Sano asked. The man walked over and introduced himself as a pharmacist named Fujita Goro. He dropped his box on the floor and began to open it. Sano said that the owners weren't home, so the man stood to go.
"Hey, hold it!" Sano said, grabbing the man's hand. "A pharmacist like you shouldn't have blisters from handling swords! Tell me who you really are!" The man gave Sano a cold look.
"You're very perceptive. I'm impressed Sagara Sanosuke," he said.
???????????????????????
Tokio was in the middle of hanging the laundry when Saito returned home. She walked inside the house and greeted him. His clothes were splattered with blood.
"What have you been doing?" Tokio asked, helping him out of his bloody clothes. "Killing people again? I hope not."
"No, just badly injured this ahou that I found at the Kamiya Dojo instead of the Battousai," Saito said, tossing his clothes onto the floor and getting out his police uniform. Tokio picked up the clothes and walked out of the room with them. When Saito was dressed, he walked outside to where his wife sat, washing clothes. She didn't look up when he came out, but stayed focused on her work.
"Tokio? I have to leave again," Saito said. "I won't be long, but I'm not going to have dinner at home tonight."
"Okay," Tokio mumbled, scrubbing a shirt. "I'll see you later."
"Tokio?" Saito asked, walking over to her while pulling on his jacket.
"What, Hajime?"
"I'm sorry that I have to leave so much," Saito said. "But after I finish up in Kyoto I promise I'll spend more time with you."
"Thank you, Hajime. That's all I needed to know," Tokio smiled, but not looking at him. He lifted her face to his, and she couldn't help but smile. They shared a quick kiss, and then Saito hurried off to a restaurant in the heart of the city. Tokio watched him leave then resumed cleaning the clothes, his kiss still burning on her lips.
The next night, Tokio sat in bed, reading a book as usual. She was waiting for Saito to return home, but it was getting quite late. Tokio looked up from her book and cast her glance at the clock. It was nearly midnight. She wondered where her Hajime could possibly be. After a little while, she decided to just go to sleep and not worry about him; he always came back to her. Tokio marked her page in the book and set it down on the floor beside her. She was about to blow out the lantern when she heard the door to the house open. Tokio pulled on a robe and walked out to greet her husband at the door.
"Hajime!" she gasped as she saw the blood trickling from his forehead and from his lip. "What happened?"
"I fought the Battousai. I'll be going to Kyoto on May 14th," Saito replied, tossing his jacket onto a hook.
"Do you want dinner or." Tokio's voice trailed off as he pushed past her and into their bedroom. ".Something?" she finished quietly. She followed him into the room and watched him undress. She noticed a large bruise on the back of his neck and under his chin.
"Are you okay?" Tokio asked, not venturing closer to the Miburo anymore. She could sense something was wrong. "What happened today?"
"Nothing," Saito muttered, wiping the blood from his lip. He winced.
"You're hurt. Here, let me help," Tokio said, cautiously guiding him to a sitting position on the bed. Reluctantly, he let her.
"Tokio, I'm fine, really. I'm just tired, that's all," Saito said, but Tokio wouldn't hear it. She checked his body for any other wounds, then brought him into the kitchen where she cleaned his injuries with a wet cloth.
"Turn around," Tokio instructed. He did. She checked the bruise on the back of his neck. It was slightly swollen, so she put a cloth soaked in cold water on it. She felt him cringe.
"Ouch! That hurts, you know!" Saito said as she blotted the gash on his forehead. She hugged him tightly.
"I was worried!" Tokio said, her head resting on his bare chest. "You never tell me ANYTHING!"
"What are you talking about?!" Saito cried, forcing her to look at him. "I told you I was going to Kyoto, didn't I?"
"So?" she asked, but her smile told him she was pleased. She leaned against him again, closing her eyes and letting the darkness surround her. "Can I come?"
"No. It's too dangerous. Something could happen to you," he replied, hugging her close.
"Oh, sure, and something can't happen to you?" Tokio retorted. It sounded almost like his retorts.
"No, something can happen to me, it's just that you're more important," Saito said. And that you're my only weakness. Saito thought to himself, gritting his teeth. "Anyway, I'd better get to bed." He stood up and walked off to the room.
"I know I should go." Tokio grumbled after him. "And I will."
A/N: Hello, everyone! I'm halfway back! I had this HUGE project in school that I needed to get done by this Thursday, but I got it done early, so here I am. BUT... I won't be back probably until Friday or Monday because that's when VACATION starts. Hee hee. Then I'll be back for a little bit, I hope. Anyway, sorry for the extremely long wait.
REVIEW RESOPNSE:
MissBehavin: You seem to be the only person reviewing, so I appreciate it a lot! Thanks so much. I will update sooner, but I've been really busy! Anyway, thanks! And Kyoto is coming in the chapter after the next, I think. (Eiji comes next ^_^)
"I'm going out, Tokio!" Saito called to Tokio.
"Okay! Where are you going?!" Tokio called back from the yard.
"I'm going to the Battousai's residence. I'll be home in a few hours!" Saito replied. He hoisted the box of medicine on his back and placed his peddler's hat on his head, hiding his narrow, amber eyes. Then, he walked off down the road toward the Kamiya Dojo.
???????????????????????
Sano arrived at the Kamiya Dojo, but to his dismay, Kenshin and the others weren't home.
"Where could they have gone?" Sano whined. "I was hoping on getting some free food today! They'd better not be at the Akabeko eating a beef hot pot without me!" Then, the front gate opened and a tall man walked in carrying a box on his back.
"Can I help you with something?" Sano asked. The man walked over and introduced himself as a pharmacist named Fujita Goro. He dropped his box on the floor and began to open it. Sano said that the owners weren't home, so the man stood to go.
"Hey, hold it!" Sano said, grabbing the man's hand. "A pharmacist like you shouldn't have blisters from handling swords! Tell me who you really are!" The man gave Sano a cold look.
"You're very perceptive. I'm impressed Sagara Sanosuke," he said.
???????????????????????
Tokio was in the middle of hanging the laundry when Saito returned home. She walked inside the house and greeted him. His clothes were splattered with blood.
"What have you been doing?" Tokio asked, helping him out of his bloody clothes. "Killing people again? I hope not."
"No, just badly injured this ahou that I found at the Kamiya Dojo instead of the Battousai," Saito said, tossing his clothes onto the floor and getting out his police uniform. Tokio picked up the clothes and walked out of the room with them. When Saito was dressed, he walked outside to where his wife sat, washing clothes. She didn't look up when he came out, but stayed focused on her work.
"Tokio? I have to leave again," Saito said. "I won't be long, but I'm not going to have dinner at home tonight."
"Okay," Tokio mumbled, scrubbing a shirt. "I'll see you later."
"Tokio?" Saito asked, walking over to her while pulling on his jacket.
"What, Hajime?"
"I'm sorry that I have to leave so much," Saito said. "But after I finish up in Kyoto I promise I'll spend more time with you."
"Thank you, Hajime. That's all I needed to know," Tokio smiled, but not looking at him. He lifted her face to his, and she couldn't help but smile. They shared a quick kiss, and then Saito hurried off to a restaurant in the heart of the city. Tokio watched him leave then resumed cleaning the clothes, his kiss still burning on her lips.
The next night, Tokio sat in bed, reading a book as usual. She was waiting for Saito to return home, but it was getting quite late. Tokio looked up from her book and cast her glance at the clock. It was nearly midnight. She wondered where her Hajime could possibly be. After a little while, she decided to just go to sleep and not worry about him; he always came back to her. Tokio marked her page in the book and set it down on the floor beside her. She was about to blow out the lantern when she heard the door to the house open. Tokio pulled on a robe and walked out to greet her husband at the door.
"Hajime!" she gasped as she saw the blood trickling from his forehead and from his lip. "What happened?"
"I fought the Battousai. I'll be going to Kyoto on May 14th," Saito replied, tossing his jacket onto a hook.
"Do you want dinner or." Tokio's voice trailed off as he pushed past her and into their bedroom. ".Something?" she finished quietly. She followed him into the room and watched him undress. She noticed a large bruise on the back of his neck and under his chin.
"Are you okay?" Tokio asked, not venturing closer to the Miburo anymore. She could sense something was wrong. "What happened today?"
"Nothing," Saito muttered, wiping the blood from his lip. He winced.
"You're hurt. Here, let me help," Tokio said, cautiously guiding him to a sitting position on the bed. Reluctantly, he let her.
"Tokio, I'm fine, really. I'm just tired, that's all," Saito said, but Tokio wouldn't hear it. She checked his body for any other wounds, then brought him into the kitchen where she cleaned his injuries with a wet cloth.
"Turn around," Tokio instructed. He did. She checked the bruise on the back of his neck. It was slightly swollen, so she put a cloth soaked in cold water on it. She felt him cringe.
"Ouch! That hurts, you know!" Saito said as she blotted the gash on his forehead. She hugged him tightly.
"I was worried!" Tokio said, her head resting on his bare chest. "You never tell me ANYTHING!"
"What are you talking about?!" Saito cried, forcing her to look at him. "I told you I was going to Kyoto, didn't I?"
"So?" she asked, but her smile told him she was pleased. She leaned against him again, closing her eyes and letting the darkness surround her. "Can I come?"
"No. It's too dangerous. Something could happen to you," he replied, hugging her close.
"Oh, sure, and something can't happen to you?" Tokio retorted. It sounded almost like his retorts.
"No, something can happen to me, it's just that you're more important," Saito said. And that you're my only weakness. Saito thought to himself, gritting his teeth. "Anyway, I'd better get to bed." He stood up and walked off to the room.
"I know I should go." Tokio grumbled after him. "And I will."
A/N: Hello, everyone! I'm halfway back! I had this HUGE project in school that I needed to get done by this Thursday, but I got it done early, so here I am. BUT... I won't be back probably until Friday or Monday because that's when VACATION starts. Hee hee. Then I'll be back for a little bit, I hope. Anyway, sorry for the extremely long wait.
REVIEW RESOPNSE:
MissBehavin: You seem to be the only person reviewing, so I appreciate it a lot! Thanks so much. I will update sooner, but I've been really busy! Anyway, thanks! And Kyoto is coming in the chapter after the next, I think. (Eiji comes next ^_^)
